Products & Services is your item catalog: everything you buy or sell on quotes, sales orders, invoices, sales receipts, bills, purchase orders, expenses and notes. Each item carries its name, type, prices, the accounts it posts to and, for stocked goods, its stock settings.
Where to find it
Inventory (left rail) → Catalog → Products & Services — /inventory/items.
These are SolaCount's native catalog pages; they look the same with or without SolaStock. Categories and units are next to it (Categories, Units) — see Inventory.
Item types
| Type | Use for | Stock | Posts to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory | Goods you stock and resell | Tracked (quantity, average cost) | Inventory Asset Account on purchase; COGS on sale |
| Non-Inventory | Goods you buy but don't track — for resale (For Resale, posts to COGS – Products) or Internal Use (posts to an operating expense account) | Not tracked | COGS – Products or Expense account |
| Service | Work and fees | Not tracked | Sales/income; service costs as Direct Cost (COGS – Services) or Operating Expense |
"Inventory tracks stock; Service/Non-inventory skip stock tracking."
The item list
Columns: Name (with SKU/barcode), Type, SKU, Category, Stock status and Available qty (stock-tracking plans), Reorder point, Unit, Sale, Cost, Status, RC (reverse charge eligible).
Toolbar (top right): Inventory truth and Adjust Stock (SolaCount-only stock tracking), Excel export, Add Item.
Filters: search ("Search name, SKU, barcode..."), All Categories, All Status (Active/Inactive), Low stock only, Out of stock, then Filter / Clear. The sidebar counter next to Products & Services shows how many items are out of stock.
Row menu (⋯)
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| View | Opens the item detail page. |
| Edit | Opens the edit form. |
| Delete | Asks "Delete this item?". Refused if the item is used: "Cannot delete: this item is used in invoices." or "Cannot delete: this item has inventory movements. Reverse the source document first." |
Bulk actions
Tick rows (or Select visible records) to activate, deactivate or archive several items at once. Results use the shared confirmation and outcome notices; if the outcome can't be confirmed you're asked to check rather than resubmit.
Create an item
- Click Add Item (top right of the list).
- Fill in the form:
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Item Name | Yes | |
| SKU | No (Yes for stock items in a SolaStock-connected org) | e.g. ITEM-001. Unique. |
| Barcode | No | Unique. |
| Type | Yes | Inventory, Non-Inventory, Service. |
| Category | Yes | Add Category creates one inline. |
| Unit | Inventory items | Add Unit creates one inline. |
| Base Sales Price (Optional) | No | Default selling price when no price list or pricing rule applies. Leave blank to enter the price on each sale. |
| Free item | No | Marks the item as free (price 0). |
| Last Purchase Price (Cost) | No | |
| Inventory Asset Account | Inventory items | |
| Sales / income account | No | Blank = Organization default. |
| Non-Inventory Usage / Service Posting | Non-inventory / service | For Resale vs Internal Use; Direct Cost vs Operating Expense, with the matching expense account. |
| Opening Balance | No | Inventory items, SolaCount-only orgs: Opening qty, Purchase price, Opening Date. |
| Description | No | |
| Reorder Settings | No | Enable reorder alert, Reorder Point, Suggested Reorder Quantity (plan-dependent). |
| Active | — | Inactive items are hidden from pickers. |
| Reverse Charge Eligible | No | Suggests reverse charge on bills. |
| Price list tiers, custom fields | No | Plan-dependent. |
- Click Save Item. You see "Item created successfully." (or "Item created with opening balance." and the item page opens).
Availability, tracking and consumption settings
Three switches and one account sit together on the item form (and in the React item settings):
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Available for sale | Untick for an item you only buy or consume. New quotes, orders, invoices and sales receipts then refuse it: "This item is not available for sale. Enable Available for sale in item settings to use it on a new sale." Its sales price and price-list tiers are kept untouched, so ticking it again restores them, and a missing sales price never blocks buying or consuming the item. |
| Available for purchase | The matching flag for buying. It is stored on the item and shared with SolaStock for connected items. |
| Track inventory | Read only. It follows the Type: on for Inventory items, off for Non-Inventory and Service items. Help text: "Controlled by item type: required for stock items; disabled for non-stock items and services." |
| Default internal-consumption account | The expense account charged when SolaStock records internal consumption of this item. Blank reads Use category / connection default; the account must be an active, postable expense account of this organization ("Select an active, postable expense account in this organization."). See Internal consumption accounts. |
Changing the type of an item with history. Because tracking follows the type, you cannot switch an item between tracked and untracked once it has stock or stock movements: "Inventory tracking cannot change after stock movements. Preserve the original item and create a new item with the required tracking." (the item page words it "This item has stock balances or historical stock movements. Its tracked/untracked type cannot be changed. Keep this type and create a new item for a different type; use authorized returns or reversals for historical stock."). Older items whose stored tracking differs from their type show "Legacy tracking differs from the item type. Existing history is preserved; review this setting before changing the type." If you force an untracked value on a stock item you see "Inventory tracking is controlled by item type…". Only items that track stock can be used on stock receipt or movement lines; non-stock items and services stay available for ordinary purchases and sales.
In a SolaStock-connected organization these four fields belong to the item's SolaStock owner while the item is linked: they are shown but disabled in SolaCount.
Example. Al Noor Trading LLC sets up "Cleaning spray 750 ml" as an Inventory item used only inside the business: Available for sale off, Available for purchase on, default internal-consumption account 6420 Cleaning supplies. Consuming 10 bottles at AED 6.00 in SolaStock posts Dr Cleaning supplies 60.00 / Cr Inventory 60.00. A second item, "Setup service", is a Service: Track inventory is off and cannot be turned on without changing its type.
Prices and decimals
Catalog prices are stored with up to four decimal places (for example AED 0.1250 per sheet), and document lines accept four-decimal unit prices. Amounts and totals on documents are rounded to your currency's precision when calculated.
Quick-create from a document line
You don't have to leave an invoice or bill to add a missing item.
- On any document line, type in the item field.
- If nothing matches, the dropdown shows Create «what you typed» at the bottom (or Create a new item if the field is empty).
- Click it. The New item dialog opens with the name already filled in — "Create it here and it drops straight into this line."
- Choose Type, and fill SKU, Barcode, Sale, Cost, Unit, Category, accounts and (Inventory, SolaCount-only) an optional Opening Balance.
- Click Create & use. The item is saved and selected on the line. Need more fields? Open the full item form opens the full page instead.
Quick-create needs permission to manage items (the Accountant role has it).
The item detail page
Click an item name or View. The header has Edit, Adjust Stock (SolaCount-only stock tracking), Excel (movement export) and Back.
| Section | Shows |
|---|---|
| Summary tiles | Qty on hand, Average cost, Inventory value, Reorder Point |
| Details | Name, SKU, Barcode, Type, Usage, Category, Unit, Status, Reverse Charge Eligible, Valuation method, Tracking, reorder settings, Description |
| Pricing | Sale (or Not set / Free item), Cost, Price list tiers (price list, min qty, price) |
| Accounting | Sales / Income Account, Inventory Asset Account, COGS Account, COGS override (credit notes), Expense / Purchase Account — with codes; organization default is marked |
| Record | Created At, Updated, Linked SolaStock item (connected orgs) |
| Opening Balance | Add opening balance while the item has no movements (SolaCount only) |
| Stock Movements / Stock Adjustments | Recent movements with source (Opening Stock, Bill / Purchase, Invoice / Sale, Sales Receipt, Credit Note, Debit Note, Stock Adjustment), direction, quantity, unit cost, total |
| Custom fields | If defined for products |
Stock items in a SolaStock-connected organization
When the organization is connected to SolaStock, creating an Inventory item in SolaCount (from the form or quick-create) also creates it in SolaStock, so both catalogs hold one linked item. This works for the Accountant role too.
- SKU, Category and Unit are required: "A SKU is required for a stock item because SolaStock identifies inventory by SKU."
- The category and unit must already be linked to SolaStock (standard ones are linked automatically).
- Opening stock is recorded in SolaStock, not here.
- If SolaStock can't be reached: "SolaStock could not be reached. Retry with the same SKU to finish creating this item; it will not be duplicated."
- If the connection is not active: "The SolaStock connection is not active, so stock items cannot be created right now. Services and non-inventory items are still available."
- On a linked item, the fields SolaStock owns (SKU, unit, tracking, availability, default internal-consumption account) are protected in the SolaCount editor; accounting and billing fields (prices, accounts, tax) stay editable. Editing an item whose quantity cannot be read does not lose its price tiers.
- On the item detail page, the valuation figures and the stock-movement Excel export are shown only while SolaStock's authoritative stock is available. If the item is not linked, or SolaStock cannot be reached, the page shows "This item is not linked to SolaStock yet, so its quantity is not shown. Prices and item details are unaffected." or "Stock quantities are temporarily unavailable from SolaStock…" and hides those figures instead of exporting stale SolaCount history. Trying to export without authoritative stock is refused with the same item-not-linked message.
- Services and non-inventory items are always created locally.
Worked example
Al Noor Trading LLC adds "Ergonomic Office Chair": Type Inventory, SKU CHAIR-ERG-01, Category Furniture, Unit Each, Base Sales Price AED 450.0000, Last Purchase Price AED 280.0000, Inventory Asset Account 1300 Inventory. Opening qty 20 at AED 280 on 1 Jan 2026.
Opening stock posts Dr Inventory 5,600.00 / Cr Opening Balance Equity 5,600.00. Selling 2 chairs later at AED 450 + 5% VAT posts AR 945.00, Sales 900.00, Output VAT 45.00, and COGS 560.00 against Inventory 560.00.
Common problems
- Item not offered in the picker — it's inactive, or it's an Inventory item and you're in a context that only accepts certain types.
- "Cannot delete" — the item has history. Deactivate it instead.
- No cost posted on a sale — the item is a Service or Non-Inventory internal-use item.
- Stock item creation refused in a connected org — add a SKU and use a linked category/unit.
Related
- Inventory — categories, units, opening stock, adjustments
- Pricing & price lists — base price vs list prices
- Connecting SolaCount and SolaStock
- Invoices, Bills, Purchase orders
- Dimensions & custom fields